USAID Rule of Law Program continues to support the Legal Aid Service of Georgia (LAS) in the informational campaign - Make Justice Accessible for All: Paralegal Initiative and Career Talks for students from the Adjara region. 

On February 10-13, 2023, twenty-two student-paralegals received training in effective and assertive communication, public speaking, non-verbal communication, and effective presentation. Expert/trainer, Vladimir Mkervalishvili assisted the students to improve their self-presentation skills and effectively present human rights issues to the public during the informational meetings in the highlands of Adjara. 

The student-paralegals also had an opportunity to learn more about basic human rights from Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, Giorgi Burjanadze. The themes he discussed included the history of human rights in Georgia and the Constitution, the classification of human rights, legal mechanisms for protecting those rights, the right to life, the prohibition of torture and discrimination, and freedom of expression and information. 

In addition, the Deputy Public Defender, Giorgi Burjanadze, and LAS Director, Razhden Kuprashvili held career talks with the participants with the aim of increasing their knowledge about the professions of a lawyer and human rights defender, and the challenges that representatives of these professions face in practice. 

“The USAID Rule of Law Program supports LAS in its efforts to inform the public about their basic rights and means for their protection. The paralegal project’s graduates play a key role in this process by sharing their knowledge with the community.” – said Irina Lortkipanidze, Regional Rule of Law Hub’s Advisor at the USAID Rule of Law Program in her welcome notes. At the end of the training, students were awarded certificates for participation in the initiative. 

The informational project for the second student-paralegals group continued from October 2022 – February 2023. Through an open call, the 18 best students were selected out of 40 applicants from the local universities of Adjara. The program covered modules on the practice and theory of women’s rights, the best interests of the child, human trafficking, the rights of persons with disabilities, basic human rights, effective communication, and self-presentation, as well as a mock trial on the rights of the child. As part of the initiative, the students and LAS representatives will also organize three mobile visits in the high mountainous Adjara in March 2023.